Page 119 of Madness of Her Mages

“Tomorrow we’ll bring more,” I said.

My father shook his head as he stumbled to his feet. “Do not visit me again. Not until you’ve convinced Malvolia of Thorin’s duplicity.”

“But, Father,” I cried.

“I mean it, child.” His eyes flared with anger, reminding me of Derrick the night I’d used my siren voice to force him to stand down. “You will not risk your life for mine, and you will certainly not risk my grandchildren’s lives.”

Finish up, Shiri, Drae’s voice echoed in my head.I’m coming.

“If you care about my daughter,” Marius said to Nikkos, “you will not risk her life by bringing her back.”

“Yes, sir.” Nikkos nodded, giving me a sympathetic look.

Blood boiled my veins when my father wrapped that dirty blindfold back around his head, but I knew he couldn’t risk the guards discovering his seeing eyes.

Wait,Drae warned.Another guard has come. They’re doing a sweep of the cells.

Icy fear swept up my spine.What?

I’m trying to stop time, but I’m exhausted. Fuck.

Just then I heard an obnoxious giggle. “I’m looking for new feathers for my collection,” Lady Veronica’s voice rang through the hall. “Do you know where I can find any?”

What was she doing?

“Not now,” a deep voice rumbled.

“Oh, he won’t tell,” Lady Veronica teased. “He’s already had several turns with me.”

“There’s an empty cell,” another dark voice purred.

In the next moment, the rustle of feet and skirts and the clank of keys filled the air.

Lady Veronica’s nauseating giggles echoed through the halls.The guards are distracted. Go now!

I gave a start when a familiar feminine voice echoed in my mind as loud and clear as when my mates projected their thoughts to me. Holy fuck! How had Lady Veronica projected her voice into my head?

I sucked in a gasp when the door cracked open and Drae waved me out, a wild look in his eyes. I cast my father one last woeful look before Drae closed the heavy door and locked it behind him and then pulled me through the hall, Nikkos following close at my heels.

We passed a cell with a door that was partially cracked open. Drae carefully inserted the keys back into the door’s lock, the sounds of animalistic grunts, Lady Veronica’s moans, and the violent slapping of bodies echoing from inside. Lady Veronica was fucking the guards?

She’s helping us?I projected to Drae, unable to mask the shock in my voice.

It appears so, he said as he banged on the hall door, startling the guard on the other side.

I wonder what we’ll owe her now.Nikkos’s dark thought rang through my head like a gong.

Hopefully, she doesn’t set the price too high,Drae said as he gave us a dark look.

Bile projected into my throat as I thought about the one thing she wanted from us, the one thing I refused to give her—I wasn’t sharing my mates.

Chapter Twenty-Three

After we returned to our bedroom suite, we washed off the day’s grime and scarfed down tea, tarts, and biscuits. We also discussed Lady Veronica’s unnerving telepathic powers and how she’d helped us. I asked Nikkos to heal the welts on his and Drae’s necks, but they both refused after Nikkos had used so much healing energy on my father. Overwhelmed by exhaustion, we were about to nap when we were startled by a long, loud horn burst as powerful as a dragon’s roar that shook the very ground and rattled the furniture and windows. My mates jumped to their feet, the girls covered their ears with their palms, and my heart came to a standstill.

I stood, digging my fingers into Drae’s arm. “What is it?”

Drae frowned, rubbing his chin. “It’s a summons for all regiments in Malvolia’s army.”

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